San Francisco – Bottom of the Hill – MAMMATUS + TERRY GROSS + CARLTON MELTON – Saturday 15th October 2022

Kind of weird how it ended up being almost a year since my last public appearance in Todmorden!

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Todmorden – Golden Lion – ALEX REX + VICTOR HERRERO + PEAT – Friday 16th October 2021

First DJ set since 2017! First UK DJ set since 2016! First Todmorden DJ set since 2015!

The Golden Lion Todmorden is pleased to be hosting Alex Rex with special guests Victor Herroro and Peat.

Alex Rex

Alex Rex is the solo project of the relentless Alex Neilson, collaborator of such artists as Shirley Collins, Bonnie Prince Billy, Current 93 and of course Trembling Bells. His current album paradise is his 4th solo record to date, and will be performed with his longtime fellow troubadour Rory Haye (electric guitar, vocals).

Uncut – 7/10

Mojo – 3*

Folk Radio – ‘one of the most distinctive and continuously excellent songwriters around’

Beats Per Minute – ‘Neilson invites you into his playful world, seemingly both collapsing into itself and expanding outward, and you feel better for having received the invitation.’

https://alexrex.bandcamp.com/

Victor Herrero

Victor Herrero was introduced to music in his childhood while living in the famous monastery Franco erected in a mountain valley west of Madrid (El Valle de los Caídos). During the last couple years Victor has been involved in many different projects and journeys, travelling, recording or playing with artists like Michael Gira, Keiji Haino, Luzmila Carpio, Ed Askew, Alasdair Roberts, Eric Chenaux, Tomi Simatupang, Alex Neilson, Paz Lenchantin, Gyda Valtysdottir, Abdellah el , Michael Zerang, Nat Baldwin, Lorena Álvarez, Shahzad Ismaily, etc.

https://youtu.be/TtU3yen_NGQ

Peat

Ombrogenous tones from the mire.

https://peatmusic.bandcamp.com/album/peat

Door’s open at 7:30pm

Tickets £8 / £10 OTD

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/alex-rex-victor-herrero-peat-golden-lion-todmorden-tickets-174691425757

See you there.

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Phoenix, AZ – The Lunchbox – FATHER MURPHY + SUNN TRIO – Friday September 14th 2018

This is the end.

Father Murphy’s final tour. The enigmatic Italian psychedelic occult duo have released their final album, the acclaimed “Rising. A Requiem For Father Murph”, and are going out on one last tour of the world. What does Father Murphy sound like? Every album seems different. Psychedelic? Classical? Soundtracks? Laments? Yes to all the above and more. They’ve played with Swans, Xiu Xiu and gone everywhere. They will be missed. Make sure you don’t miss them tonight.

This Italian group are a cult band in every sense of the word. – ​THE QUIETUS
They make music that’s fantastically fucked up… – ​EXCLAIM!
An outsider operatic hellscape that calls to mind the starkest visions of Cormac McCarthy. – ​THE GUARDIAN
Italian Father Murphy conjure up a funereal atmosphere somewhere between homemade Morricone and toytown Goblin… That ol’ devil Dario would surely approve – ​THE WIRE
Impressive but nightmarish, like a beautifully rendered self-portrait splattered with blood and self-loathing. – ​ROCK-A-ROLLA
Like punks who secretly learned classical. – ​SAN FRANCISCO WEEKLY

Sunn Trio are one of the hottest acts in Phoenix. Tight, pulsing explorations in sound that bring to mind everything from surf to Sun Ra, arabian to garage rock. They have just announced their second album will be coming out around the same time on European label Unrock who have released countless Sun City Girls-affiliated releases so the Phoenix connection is staying strong.

“Wielding Indo-Arabian saz and white lightning six-string shrapnel amidst an alligator snapping turtle’s rhythm section, this trio-quartet-sextet may also sprout horns, flutes, animal skins, or shadow gamelan to faithfully demolish that whiny and predictable listening experience of today’s tepidly lazy, underachieving experimental music scene. Not a ‘safe’ environment.” – Alan Bishop, Sun City Girls/Alvarius B

This is the end. It’s also a beginning as its the first show put on in the USA by British promoter Was Ist Das? who relocated from Northern England to Arizona 2 years ago

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Todmorden, Tor Beers @ Golden Lion – Tor Beers grand opening – Wednesday 13th September 2017

Thanks to the power of proxy, our favorite gig DJ Dave Ives will be channeling the Was Ist Das? Soundsystem at the launch of Todmorden’s first craft beer emporium INSIDE the Golden Lion pub. All tracks chosen by us. Make sure to check the Modern Times beers.

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Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge – JERUSAFUNK + THE MYRRORS + SUNN TRIO – Friday 18th August 2017


It’s my second DJ outing since moving to America and my first this year. What a line-up of bands and unbelievably it happens to be the 12th birthday of Was Ist Das? and what better way to celebrate this than by choosing the tunes at this killer show with 3 of the best bands in Arizona. It’s not a show I’ve organized, it is just a perfect coincidence.

Headliners Jerusafunk are playing this as a homecoming show after touring the nation with their funky take on klezmer music. Standing ten strong they take traditional Klezmer and blend it with American Funk and other world music genres such as Jazz, Salsa, Mambo, Samba, Bossa Nova, Cumbia, and Afrobeat
The Myrrors are from Tuscon and play hypnotic psychedelic rock, erupting colors into the desert heat haze.

Opening the show are the mighty Sunn Trio, a cosmic onslaught of free jazz, psyche rock and global impulses.

Tickets on sale from here

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Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room – KIKAGAKU MORU + THE MYRRORS – Wednesday September 20th 2016

kikagakumoyomyrrorswebI knew I had to find something special for my first DJ set in America and here it is! It’s a rare American show for cult Japanese pscyhedelisists Kikagaku Moru whose communal-styled freak-folk rock jams invoke the sprits of all the greats from Trad, Gras och Stenar to Amon Duul via their own private world.

Support comes from The Myrrors, the most lysergic sound ever to come out of Tucson, Arizona. Hypnotic psychedelic rock imbued with uplifting spiritual drones makes their sound something that transports you out of the humdrum reality into a strange desert of sound.

Both bands have a global following among discerning psyche-heads and all for just $10 with yours truly picking the music inbetween. Tickets and more info http://www.rhythmroom.com/event/1290099-kikagaku-moyo-phoenix/

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Huddersfield – Arcade Beers – MELANIE O’DUBHSLAINE + EMBLA QUICKBEAM + CORE OF THE COALMAN – Thursday 30th June 2016

coredasarcadeWEB2Core Ist Das? presents a night of noise in the basement of a Huddersfield beer shop. Arcade Beers is at 6 Station Street, Huddersfield, just off the main square outside Huddersfield Train Station at 6, Station Street (on the side of Byram Arcade). It’s pay what you can and last train friendly.

Melanie O’Dubhslaine
Huddersfield born (though Bradford bred) Melanie is a member of The Wire cover stars Ashtray Navigations, Human Combustion Engine, Sculptress and also recorded as Ocelocelot. She’s collaborated with Bridget Hayden, Ceramic Hobs and Part Wild Horses Mane On Both Sides.

Embla Quickbeam
This is the project of Rowan Forestier-Walker. She works through manipulating field recordings to create extraordinary soundscapes. She’s recorded for the ever-reliable Chocolate Monk label in and Birghton and last November provided a live soundtrack to Alan Clarke’s classic film exploration of myth & landscape, “Penda’s Fen”.

Core Of The Coalman
Californian-born Jorge Boehringer has been recording as Core of the Coalman now for nearly 10 years with a string of releases on labels the world over and collaborations with Woven Skull, Liz Harris (Grouper) and To Live and Shave In L.A. He’s studied composition with Fred Frith, Pauline Oliveros and Alvin Curran

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Hebden Bridge – Nutclough Tavern – SUZUKI JUNZO + JUMBLE HOLE CLOUGH – Friday 17th June 2016

I’ll be DJing at this wonderful event, arranged by the Nutclough themselves. Japen’s wonderful psychedelic troubadour really should need no introduction on here by now but just in case here he is:

Support comes from the evergreen enigma of Jumble Hole Clough

Delighted to see Hebden Bridge still supporting experimental guitar music in my absence!

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Shipley – Triangle – Ned Netherwood (Radiophonic Workshop book reading & DJ set) – Friday 29th April 2016

an electric stormOh bloody hell, I’m doing a gig and I’m the actual attraction rather than the promoter! The Triangle is a beer shop and art gallery in Shipley, Bradford with a fantastic global range of high quality beers. They’ve hosted exhibitions from Richard Dawson and Jake Blanchard among many others. Its a pleasure and an honour to do my first book reading there.

This is their event blurb about the night: Ned Netherwood is the man behind Was Ist Das? the website that evolved into a label, radio show, handwritten music reviews, owlsploitation, beer talk and 5 years of experimental gigs in Hebden Bridge. He will be joining us to read excerpts from his debut book “An Electric Storm: Daphne, Delia & The BBC Radiophonic Workshop” which came out late last year on Obverse Books. He’ll also be signing and selling copies of it, answering any questions and playing a special DJ set of Radiophonic music.
£3 entry (£2 unwaged). Address: The Triangle, 47 Bradford Rd, Shipley BD18 3DS

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Leeds – Chunk – CHICALOYOH + CHEVAL SCINTILLANTES + MARLO EGGPLANT – Thursday 7th April 2016

chicaloyohWEBWas Ist Das? is teaming up with our dear friend Russell (aka Girl Sweat) to promote a show in Leeds under the banner of SWEAT IST DAS!

CHICALOYOH: French artist Alice Dourlen makes music that is strange, dark and beautiful. Like an acid-fried soundtrack to a Jean Rollin film or a mystic Patty Smith working with John Carpenter. She’s released records for labels like Digitalis, Brave Mysteries, Shelter Press and Was Ist Das? Rave reviews have followed from the Queitus, Freq, us and many more.

CHEVAL SCINTILLANTES: Cheval Scintillantes is Sophie Bernadou, a multi-instrumentalist who previously played in the trio Folle Eglise along with Alice Dourlen (aka Chicaloyoh). Both the tracks on here see Sophie displaying her creative talents with the cello. Her playing is passionate, intricate and inspired. She released her debut solo release on Was Ist Das? back in Autumn 2015

MARLO EGGPLANT: Marlo Eggplant is a prominent figure in a thriving and diverse international scene of female experimental music performers. With an intuitive command of minimal instrumentation, including processed autoharp and contact microphones, Marlo Eggplant’s sparsely structured notes and layered static textures build into sonically dense drone improvisations.

Tickets are £4 in adavance FROM HERE, £6 on the door & this is a bring your own beer venue

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